title: Massive hemothorax after blunt transverse cervical artery injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Blunt injuries to the thyrocervical trunk or its branches are rare because these vessels are well protected and located deep in the neck. To the best of our knowledge, we describe the first case of a massive hemothorax after blunt injury to the transverse cervical artery.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 42-year-old man was brought to our Emergency Department after he fell from a height of 10 meters. On work-up, a massive left hemothorax with extravasation from the left transverse cervical artery and pelvic fractures were detected. Endovascular embolization was successfully performed. There was no evidence of direct injury to the neck, lung laceration, or significant vascular injury that might have caused the massive hemothorax. A shearing mechanism associated with sudden deceleration caused by the 10-meter fall might have caused the transverse cervical artery injury in our patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consideration of injury to the thyrocervical trunk or its branches by the emergency physician will result in more frequent consideration and more timely diagnosis when there is no chest injury and massive hemothorax.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Fukui Prefectural Hospital, Fukui, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanizaki
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayashi
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000328:Adult; D006491:Hemothorax / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000098:blood supply*; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications*